Ricciardo responds to ‘unfair criticism’

Daniel Ricciardo, once celebrated for his omnipresent smile, now faces immense pressure as he fights to save his Formula 1 career. The Australian has recognized the seriousness of his situation, leading him to take another look its processes, to focus on cleaning and to prioritize the essentials.

Racing Bulls team principal Peter Bayer has noticed Ricciardo’s renewed commitment. In an interview with Motorsport-Total.com, Bayer welcomed Ricciardo’s commitment: “He works extremely hard and has given up many of his other commitments to focus 100% on racing. He has even disabled his Instagram account on his phone and left it to his management to ensure there are no distractions.

Unfair criticism and defense

Despite Ricciardo’s efforts, he faced heavy criticism, notably from Jacques Villeneuve, who suggested Ricciardo stay home rather than compete.

Bayer came to Ricciardo’s defense, questioning the fairness of such comments: “Why stick to just one driver? I don’t understand. It’s unfair, especially coming from a former driver, when you see all the efforts Daniel is making. »

Bayer also expressed its disapproval of the external pressure: “He’s incredibly focused and these outside calls are unnecessary, to put it politely.”

However, Bayer have made no secret of the fact that Ricciardo’s position in the team is under threat.

“For us it’s about performance. If Daniel can’t deliver the performance, it’s going to be hard to justify not bringing in a new driver next year.” Bayer admitted.

Performance linked to the future

Bayer reiterated the clear link between Ricciardo’s performance and his future with the team.

“We have always been transparent that Daniel’s time with us is directly linked to his performance. If he excels in the next few races, then the discussion will change. However, consistent underperformance will lead to difficult decisions. »

Ricciardo’s recent performance at Spielberg has been mixed. While he was unable to produce a breakout performance on Saturday, his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda beat him by 0.123s and three positions in qualifying to finish eleventh.

Reflecting on his qualifying session, Ricciardo said: “The ride was pretty good. I gained a tenth every lap and felt we were close to our limit. But of course, we always find a few milliseconds somewhere. I don’t feel any resentment, just a little frustration because it was so close. »

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Promising performances at the Austrian Grand Prix

Ricciardo’s qualifying performance at the Austrian Grand Prix offered a glimmer of hope. With recent speculation about his future fuelled by comments from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko regarding a possible replacement for Liam Lawson,

Ricciardo knew the stakes were high. Marko’s comments stem from Ricciardo’s inconsistent results this season, which have hampered his ambitions to return to Red Bull’s parent team.

Ricciardo’s determination to be more competitive was dealt a blow at the Red Bull Ring when he crashed out of the Q1 sprint qualifying session due to persistent update issues. However, he bounced back in the main qualifying session, narrowly missing out on Q3 by just 0.010s. Ricciardo believes his struggles this season have been exaggerated, noting his gap to Tsunoda was never excessive.

“I know my year… sure, I had some little highlights, but overall it’s not what I expected and what I expect of myself,” Ricciardo admitted it.

“Obviously, if you don’t fight, you’re going to get some harsh criticism. But sometimes it’s probably out of proportion.

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Calming the critics

Ricciardo responded directly to the criticism, saying: “I don’t think the gap was ever, or rarely was, half a second or anything like that with Yuki. Last week, yes, he was less than a tenth of a second behind me. I think he got a lot of praise too, so I’m not getting my ass kicked by someone who’s not very fast. I think everyone recognizes that he has very good pace over a lap.

He added: “But the battle between teammates is obviously watched closely, and today I’m obviously happy to be able to string together a few laps and maybe keep everyone a little calmer.”

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Avoid speculation, focus on performance

Earlier in the week, Ricciardo said he was avoiding speculation about his future and was instead focusing on performing well to change perceptions.

“I think I’m leading the race right now, so I have to do everything I can to control the things I can control,” Ricciardo explained.

“If I do well here, if I do well at Silverstone, then I think the narrative can change. I obviously think I have to embrace that and be on top of what I can do. »

Reflecting on his fifth place qualifying in Montreal, he added: ” Yes. I’m sure my fifth place in qualifying in Montreal made Helmut smile. If I can do that a few more times, I’m sure I’ll make him smile. It’s always about performance, and yes, you just have to keep focusing on that. »

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An impossible task

Despite these small successes, Ricciardo’s fundamental challenge remains. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently highlighted the impossible task facing Ricciardo.

“Both shareholders have made it clear that this is a junior team.” said Marko, implying that Ricciardo must make way for younger talent.

Marko added: “The plan with Ricciardo was for him to regain his old form and eventually make a comeback with Red Bull Racing. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened yet. Instead, Red Bull extended Sergio Perez’s contract by another two years, reducing the chances of Ricciardo returning.”

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The juniors advance

As Ricciardo’s future looks increasingly uncertain, Red Bull’s young drivers are battling for a place.

Marko told Sky: “There is a problem somewhere. If I had known where, I would have told him and the team. He stressed the need to carefully assess the situation and make an appropriate decision in line with the team’s junior philosophy.”

Competition for places is tough, with promising talents like Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, Isack Hadjar and Ayumu Iwasa in the running. Sky pundit Timo Glock believes Ricciardo is aware of his precarious position.

“He says it himself. He can’t get the most out of this package. He’s on the ropes and he knows it. concludes Glock.)

Horner’s view

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who has a good relationship with Ricciardo, does not see the situation as dire. “He began to show signs of the old Daniel,” ” said Horner, referring to Ricciardo’s recent improvements.

“We saw it in Miami and Montreal.”

Horner was keen to stress that the driver issue was primarily a matter between Bayer and team boss Laurent Meckies.

“There is always pressure in F1 and Daniel is more than aware of that,” Horner stressed that steps have been taken, but it remains to be seen whether they will be enough.

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Looking forward

As Ricciardo looks ahead to the rest of the season, his focus remains on putting in some good performances and changing the course of his career. The upcoming races are crucial and every performance will be scrutinised.

Christian Horner’s support and recognition of Ricciardo’s efforts is reassuring, but ultimately Ricciardo’s future rests on his ability to consistently perform at the highest level. The F1 environment is unforgiving and only those who can perform under pressure will survive.

Daniel Ricciardo’s future in F1 is uncertain. Despite his efforts to refocus and progress, the pressure is immense. With young drivers on track, Ricciardo must achieve exceptional results in the upcoming races to secure a place on the grid. His promising qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix may temporarily silence the critics, but consistent, high performances are key to turning things around and securing his future.

That said, with Sergio Perez seemingly underperforming once again despite being handed a two-year contract (with performance clauses), the impetus for Daniel Ricciardo to improve remains.

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